(Sold) This is a wartime Sheaffer Balance "Defender" Vac fountain pen in striated Golden Brown celluloid with a gold-filled trim, and a 14k gold, two-tone Feather Touch XF nib. The pen has been restored, which included a complete disassembly, a gentle cleaning, an overhaul of the filling mechanism, ink flow adjustment, a nib tune-up, and a gentle polish with a soft cloth (by hand). I work according to current "best practices" in pen restoration, and I use high-quality replacement materials.

This is a beautiful, rare Sheaffer fountain pen made specifically to comply with U.S. Armed Forces regulations, such that the pen had to be flush with a uniform breast pocket. These pens are beautiful, yes, but they were also made tough. They were dependable daily writers, performing very well in the office, out in the field, at sea, and in the air. Today, they still make fantastic performers, and their rare beauty makes them particularly desirable among collectors.

This particular pen is in fantastic condition, with vibrant, rich celluloid, excellent barrel transparency, fantastic gold-filled trim, and a gorgeous XF nib. Did I mention the vacuum filling mechanism? It works flawlessly, holding a lot of ink (2.2 ml using the two-stroke method). If you still aren't convinced this pen is for you, read on :).

This is a full-size pen, measuring 5.2" capped and 0.48" in diameter. It posts well, so it should be comfortable even for people with large hands. The material has incredible depth and chatoyancy. Barrel transparency means you can watch the pen being filled, which is always fun, and you can see your favorite ink sloshing around inside the barrel. This is a writer's pen - one fill is going to last for weeks and the awesome writing ability is going to have you keep coming back for more. Being part of the Balance family, the pen is ergonomically sound, and it writes effortlessly. The Feather Touch really deserves its name. It does write at the lightest touch, laying down a confident line of about 0.4 mm. It probably sold as a Fine, but, by today's Western standards, I'd rank it has a generous XF. If you press harder, you will be rewarded with a gentle "give," a little bit of spring that's going to make your writing that much more enjoyable and might even give you a hint of line variation.